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April 20, 2003

Trevor Matich

In recent days, three striking events occurred -- one blessed, one tragic, and one, well, you be the judge.

The blessed event was the arrival of my younger sister's first son, Dawson.  

He was born seven weeks premature, but has been thriving like the little Superman that he is.  Unlike many children born that early, Dawson could breathe on his own, and took his mother's milk from a bottle with delightful glee at the new and wondrous concept of eating through his mouth instead of through his belly button. 

He looks like a little old man, rather like Yoda but with cuter ears.  He has three jobs:  Eat, sleep, and get bigger, and he does each with style and panache. 

The following pictures were taken at the itty-bitty baby intensive care unit, during the week that Dawson visited there before he came home.  The big galoot is his goofy uncle.  

Welcome, little dude!

The tragic event was the discovery in San Francisco Bay of the bodies of Laci Peterson and her unborn son, Connor.  

When Laci disappeared, she was eight months pregnant.  She was by all accounts ecstatic about becoming a mom for the first time.  She had already given her son the name Connor, even though she wouldn't officially meet him for another four weeks.

As this is being written, Laci's husband Scott Peterson stands charged of double murder, even though Connor hadn't yet been born at the time of her disappearance. 

Whether or not Scott is guilty, this is an unmitigated tragedy from all perspectives.  The third event stems from one of those perspectives.

The President of the National Organization for Women's Morris County, NJ chapter, Mavra Stark, is opposed to a double-murder charge in the case, saying it could bolster the pro-life lobby.

Said Ms. Stark:  "If this is murder, well, then any time a late-term fetus is aborted, they could call it murder."

She went on to say:  "There's something about this that bothers me a little bit.  Was it born, or was it unborn? If it was unborn, then I can't see charging (Peterson) with a double-murder."

It.

She said "it."

As in, "Was it born, or was it unborn?"

Ms. Stark's "it" -- just for fun, let's call him "Connor" -- was one month older than Dawson at the time his mother disappeared.  Dawson started his journey seven weeks before his regularly scheduled birthday; Connor met his end just four weeks before his scheduled birthday.

This should be one place where pro-life and pro-choice philosophies converge.  The choice of the mother was that Connor be born.  The charge should be double murder.

California law is clear in this case:  It is legal for a mother to terminate a pregnancy, but illegal for anyone else to terminate it against her wishes.  The politics, however, are not so clear.  Dr. Art Caplanto appeared on Fox News to discuss the law and the politics.  His conclusion:  "Abortion politics has made us morally goofy."

Indeed.

It is given that the world is already a better place for having Dawson in it.

It is given that it is a terrible tragedy that Connor will never have the chance to play with Dawson.

As for Mavra Stark, well, decide whatever you want about that.